Storage bin



Sept. 8, 1953 Filed July 7, 1949 C. R. SEABORNE STORAGE BIN 3 Sheets-Sheet l LII II {I l ll 1| I I i: I m: illi "i ll: lli m Sept. 8, 1953 c. R. SEABORNE 2,651,447

STORAGE BIN I Filed July 7, 1949 a Sheets-Sheet :s

Patented Sept. 8, 1953 STORAGE BIN Charles R. Seaborne, Appleton, Wis., assignor to Thilmany Pulp & Paper Company, Kaukauna, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application July 7, 1949, Serial No. 103,416

2 Claims. (01. 2294.5)

My invention relates to storage bins.

Its principal purpose is to provide temporary, inexpensive storage facilities for the accommodation of a wide variety of materials such, for example, as farm crops like grain, ensilage, etc., and natural and manufactured products like lime, sulphur, coal, bulk chemicals, cement, etc.

In addition to the foregoing, other objects of the invention are to provide a storage bin which may be erected by a simple method withoutrequirin special skill, or tools other than a hammer for driving nails and a maul or axe for driving stakes and for which the side walls and if desired also a floor and a cover and means for providing ventilation may be supplied in a convenient compact package.

Other purposes, objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In general the improved bin comprises a cylindrical one piece vertical side wall formed from a flexible stri or panel ofsuitable fabriclike material, such as paper, reinforced against the longitudinal pull or tension engendered by the radially outward thrust of the storage load by spaced horizontally arranged flexible metallic strapping-the ends of the panel, after disposition in cylindrical form,- being overlapped and secured together to constitute a self-sustaining, or at least a partially self and partially load sustained tight enclosure. The imperforate wall of fabriclike material serves not only to retain the granular material within the enclosure but also to transmit and distribute to the reinforcing strapping the radially outward thrust of the storage load. And since that thrust is in the main translated into a circumferential pull or tension, the aggregate pressure of the load is primarily borne by the strapping rather than by the relatively weak fabriclike material. If desired a cover and a floor of fabriclike material may be employed to protect the stored material against the weather and attacks from insects, animals and the like and from contact with the ground.

A typical storage bin, of steps in its erection, of the materials of which it is fabricated, and of a package comprising elements supplied to the erector, are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a complete bin without a cover; 7 7

Fig. 2 is a side elevation in partial vertical section of a typical bin with a bottom or floor and acover;

Fig. 3 is a top plan, on a reduced scale, show-- g a ge of er ctionof a bin';- I

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section through the multi-ply strip constituting the continuous enclosing side wall of the bin;

Fi 5 is an enlarged perspective of a section of side wall showing more clearly how panel ends are overlapped and secured;

Fig. 6 is a plan, on greatly reduced scale, of a sheet of fabriclike material from which a bottom or floor and a cover may be formed;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross section on the line '|l of Fig. 2; s

Fig. 8 shows, on a reduced scale, a package such as may be prepared for sale to an erector or user of bins;

Fig. 9 shows a package core used as a central bin-ventilating stack; and

Fig. 10 shows a package core utilized for a different method of ventilating the bin.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5, a typical storage bin comprises a vertical cylindrical enclosure wall l0 formed from a single strip or panel of fabriclike material reinforced by a number of vertically spaced flexible metallic steel straps II which extend horizontally in parallel spaced relation from end to end of the strip or panel. The fabriclike material may be of any appropriate kind, such as kraft paper, which may be plain or, if desired, strengthened in ways well known to the paper art. Preferably the reinforcin straps are of the flat or ribbon variety and interposed between plies of the fabriclike material. The ends of this multi-ply panel, after it has been placed upstanding in cylindrical enclosure shape, are overlapped and secured together so that the ensemble resists, almost entirely by the tensile strength of the metal reinforcing straps, the radially outward thrust of the stored material and, with the aid of that material, constitutes a self sustaining rigid and reliable storage bin or silo. If desired, the bin may be provided with a bottom or floor 12 and a cover [3, which may be formed from material similar to that comprising the side walls except that the reinforcing metallic strapping may be omitted and fewer or only one ply thickness of the fabriclike material may be employed.

3 with an adhesive asphalt film as serving to bond the plies l6 and I8 tightly together with the metallic straps interposed and firmly held therebetween. Fabriclike plies of calendered finish kraft paper of so-called "100 pound basic Weigh with a linear strength of about 90 to 100 pounds per inch of width and a cross-machine strength of about 45 pounds per inch and cold rolled mild steel strapping of A x .020" for reinforcement have been found to give satisfactory results. The cross Width (vertical when fabricated into a bin) spacing of the reinforcing metallic strapping ll should be such as to give the composite panel the strength necessary to withstand the outward thrust of the stored load and to support the paper without undue bulging between straps. The vertical spacing need not be throughout the height of the bin. In fact, the preferred arrangement is to have the spacing'be tween reinforcing straps least in a zone somewhat above the bottom where the outward pressure of the load is greatest, increasing the spacing toward the top of the panel as the thrust of the load diminishes. The strapping is provided with regularly spaced holes 25 for accommodating 8d steel wire nails on about center-to-center spacing. In ways well known in the art, the paper or stock of some or all plies may be so-called wet strength treated to retain its strength when saturated with moisture and also treated to render it resistant or repellent to rodents, insects, molds and other pests. The asphalt layers between plies help to render the panel as a whole moistureproof. The width of the multi-ply panel may be such as to afford the desired bin height; or some multiple thereof, since with a given width greater bin heights may be attained simply by adding one strip above another with some horizontal overlapping of strips. Preferably enough should be added to panel width to permit the edge at the ground to be turned in to enable the weight of the load to help anchor the bin in place. The length of a panel should be such that, with a relatively slight overlap of ends as will be later explained, it can be set on a circle to form a cylindrical enclosure of the desired diameter or storage capacity. Panels about eighty inches wide and fifty and a half feet long will provide a bin of sixteen feet diameter and a height of six feet (with eight inches for inturning the lower edge) and a storage capacity of approximately one thousand bushels. Preferably the outer fabriclike ply I8 is pressel or dimpled into the strap perforations 29 or forced upon protruding flanges 2| surrounding the perforations-- all as fully explained in a copending application Serial No. 37,417 filed July '7, 1948, now Patent No. 2,595,087, by John H. Leslie II-in order that the locations of the nail holes covered and otherwise concealed thereby may be easily detected.

With special reference to Fig. 3, the method of erecting a bin such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 will now be explained. First the erector, after determining a bins location, marks upon the ground a circle 25 of a radius which will give a circumference of a few inches-say 4 to 6 inches lessthan the length of the panel to be used. The length of the circumference of the circle is less than the length of the panel in order that, after the panel has been set to the circle, as later explained, the ends of the panel will overlap sufficiently to enable them to be securely fastened together. On this circle he then marks at approximately regular intervals the location of a forced panel I0 with its outer ply IE to the outside is then applied inside of the temporary reta-i-ni-ng stakes around the circle defined by them I to form a cylindrical vertical walled enclosure.

The panel can be effectively retained in upright position against the inside of the temporary stakes by driving therethrough, preferably through a perforation in the top reinforcing strap and into each stake, a small nail 2? such as a shingle nail. If desired, especially if a bin is to have a. bottom or floor, the lower edge of a panel may be folded in along the ground as indicated at 28. Next an upright wooden post or cleat 253, for example a 2 x 4 of a length substantially the same as bin height is placed where the ends of the panel overlap, preferably inside the enclosure, and the overlapping ends of the new circularly disposed vertical wall panel are nailed thereto against the outer surface thereof as most clearly shown in Fig. 5. These anchoring nails 3% should be driven through the overlapped ends of the reinforcing straps ll into the cleat 2 3. The nail-hole location demarcations in the outer ply show the erector where the nails are to be driven. The anchoring nails are thus in shearthe overlapped ends of the straps pulling in opposite directions on the shanks of the nails-and the wooden anchor cleat is subjected to a minimum stress. Two 2 /2," nails for each overlapped strap will ordinarily sufiice. So-called double headed nails are to be preferred since they can be easily withdrawn without the danger of injuring the panel that would be present if the more common single head nails were employed. If the bin is to have av bottom or floor Hi, the fabriclike material forming it is now laid on the ground overlapping the inturned edge 28 of the side wall l0 and preferably also turned up around its outer edge adjacent the side wall as shown at 3|, and the structure is ready to receive its lead. The weight of the load within the bin will hold the fioor down against the inturned edge or flap 2B of the side wall with sufficient tightness for some storage purposes although the side wall flap and door may be cemented together with, for example, asphalt or other suitable adhesive if desired. In either event the weight of the load in the bin, acting directly on the inturned flap at the bottom of the side wall or indirectly thereon through the bin floor, will anchor the bin to the ground.

When the bin has been loaded suniciently to create a substantial radially outward thrust against the panel and thereby put the panel reinforcing straps under considerable tension-say when it is one-third to one-half ful1the bin becomes sufliciently rigid and self-sustaining to permit the temporary stakes 26 to be removed and used in the erection of another storage enclosure. It is unnecessary that they remain a permanent part of a bin, or'even that they remain in place until the bin is filled, although, of course, an anchoring cleat 29 does constitute a permanent part of eachbin. After the bin-is filled to the desired extent,-a cover l3 maybe applied over the top to help shield the contents against the weather and attack by insects, birds and the like. By making the area of the cover somewhat greater than that of the bin, the margin of the cover may be bent'and folded down over the top edge of the bin inthe form of a flap 31 whereby a wire 38 looped one or more times and tensioned thereabout will serve to anchor the cover or roof in place. Preferably the loadin a bin which is to be covered should be piled higher at the center than the height of the circumferential side wall so that the cover will slope downwardly in all directions from the center toward the side wall, as indicated in Fig. 2, and water will readily run off.

Satisfactory flooring and tooling, with a minimum waste of material in production, may be provided by furnishing the erector with a strip of fabriclike material-single or multi-ply and with or without reinforcing metallic strapping as desired-of parallelogram shape and with a surface partially cut through or scored or merely marked, as indicated in Fig. 6 to indicate where it may be separated into supplementary blanks to provide a cover and a bottom. For the covers and bottoms two-ply jute twine strengthened paper, which is especially resistant to puncturing and tearing, may be more satisfactory generally than such paper as has been indicated for side walls. Bottom paper should ordinarily be asphalt saturated to increase its moistureproof properties. From such a strip the erector will be able to produce four trapezoidal blanks. One pair of blanks will form a floor; the other pair of blanks will form a cover. Thus, for example, a long web of laminated or multi-ply paper 39 of a width slightly exceeding the radius of the bin with which the covers and bottoms are to be used is periodically cut across on parallel lines 4040 as it passes through or from the customary paper making combining machinethese cuts being at 60 to the panel-web edges. Also as the web passes through or from the combining machine it is, between the severing cuts 40-40, only'partially cut through or scored or marked along twolines 4|, lying at 60 angles to lines or ends 40 and along a line 42 which is parallel to ends 40-40. In this manner the erector may be provided with a fabriclike strip from which he can readily cut or tear four trapezoidal blanks A-A and BB', each blank having three edges of equal length and a fourth edge twice as long. These blanks, by assembling them in pairs with the longer edges 43 slightly overlapped across the diameter of a bin, will produce two substantially equilateral hexagonal sheets to provide both a bottom and a cover as clearly indicated in Fig. 6, the blanks A--A' forming, for example, a bottom or fioor and the blanks B-B' forming a roof or cover. If it is desired to secure together the cover blanks where the longer edges 43 overlap along the diameter of the bin, this may readily' be done by folding the blanks edges 43 together about a cross anchoring wire 45 as shown most clearly in Fig. 7. One end of this wire 45 may be anchored to the bin side wall by looping an end through one or more reinforcing strap perforations and twisting the end about the body of the wire; then, after pulling the wire taut over the top of the bin, the opposite end may be anchored to the cleat 29 by a nail. Or, if desired, opposite ends of the cover anchoring wire 45 may be twisted about the circumferential cover retaining wire 38. The outer edge of the two as- 6 sembled supplementary cover blanks are folded down over the upper edge of the bin side wall and secured in place by the wire 38 looped horizontally about and pulled'tightly upon the bin side wall l0 and twisting the ends of the wire together. If

desired the overlapping edges of the cover and floor blanks may be adhesively secured together.

In order to facilitate handling and storage, as a measure of protection and for the accommodation of erectors, the side wall paneland a strip for either a set of cover blanks or floor blanks, or for both cover and floor blanks, may be arranged in a compact cylindrical package. This can be done by winding a panel and cover-floor blank strip upon 'a center cylindrical core 50 which can be in the form of a hollow cardboard tube. As indicated in Fig. 8 the cover-floor blank strip, since it will ordinarily be wider than the' 4 width of a side wall panel, may first be wound upon the core and then the side wall panel wound on over the floor-cover blank strip. Next a suit-. able binder of strapping or wire may be looped about the bundle and the ensemble wrapped in a cover of suitable paper. The bore of core 50 Will accommodate a package of nails of the correct size and character which will serve to insure that nails too large for the strap perforations are not used to nail the panel to the temporary stakes or to the permanent cleat. The use of nails too large for the perforations in the reinforcing strapping can seriously impair the strength of a panel by reducing the elfective cross section of the strapping.

After the package core 50 has served its purpose as a mandrel for holding and supporting the side wall panel and cover-floor strip until these structural elements have been removed in the process of fabricating a bin, and perhaps also as a receptacle for a package of appropriate nails, the core may be used as a ventilating stack or flue. Thus as indicated in Fig. 9 the core 50 may be set upright at the center of the bin and the load piled around it. If a cover is used this central ventilating stack can protrude therethrough, as indicated in Fig. 9. The fabric of the cover can be radially slit at the center to provide the opening for the stack to project through, the tongues 5| formed by the slitting being turned up around and against the stack and bound thereto by a loop of wire 52. The ventilating qualities of such a stack may be improved by providing the core 50 throughout its length with relatively small openings through its circumferential wall. Such openings may be punched or sawed through the wall of the core. The top of such a venting stack may, if desired, be covered by a board 53 or other suitable hood, the core therebelow being laterally vented by openings such as previously described or by the removal of V or other shaped sections 54 in the top edge. Or, if desired, the core may be cut into pieces and applied radially, as indicated in Fig. 10, to provide a number of ventilating flues 55 around the upper edge of the enclosure panel. Occasions may arise where it will be advisable to provide small ventilating openings through a bins enclosure side wall. Such openings can be easily produced by punching holes through a panel at selected perforations in the reinforcing strapping. As in the location of nailing perforations through the strapping, the hole demarcations in the outer ply will clearly show where such venti: lating openings in a bin side wall can be readily made by the use of a nail Or other pointed obj ect. Or, in the event it is considered undesirable aetie 'z 7E e d pen 1992 he p li of he ad n th bin ier t t e center h. th h t of the lqsure w ll, sq a to pr vid a water s di slope to, a cover; the core,; 56, which preferably will be longer than the height. of the side wall, can be set vertically at the center of the bin to serve as a load supported center pole for properly raising the. centercf the cover above the level of the. top edge or the enclosure wall.

Havingthus. illustrated and explained the nature. and a pretence mbediment o my invention, what 1' claim and. des r t secure y it d States Letters Iatent is as follows:

1. A storage bin comprising a panel of impervious multi-plyfabriolike material reinforced by a plurality of spaced flat, flexible metallic straps extending horizontally from end to end thereof between two of the plies, the composite panel being disposed vertically in cylindrical enclosure form with the ends. overlapped and the opposite ends of some of the reinforcing straps in overlapping register with each other, a cleat within the enclosure at the overlapping region of the panel, and securing means passing through overlapped strap ends into the cleat thereby to connect the strap. ends so that outward thrust of a load in the bin is primarily resisted by tension in the reinforcing straps.

A s qr se bin c mpr si g a pa el Q impel" QQ mu ti y iahr clihe mater al reinfo ced by a p ural t c sp ced flexib e fia me a lic ra n ing ho izqn allr imm. e d to n the 'q betwe n t c o th p ies! he cqm ts te nel b ns i posed vert call in c indr enclosure m th th nds over ap d and he sit ends of some of th reinforcing straps in over,- apping reg s r with o her a s ngle wo d n. cleat standing upright within the Y enclosure ga t h ove lapped. nqrtieh f t e an d nails ven th u h. he qve la p d port n of h wintert me traps ihtq he q at h r by to nnect th str p ends so tha the u r th ust of a ad in e b n i rimari r s ed by sion in the reinforcing straps.

CHARLES R.- SEAEQRNE- References Cited in the file of this patent 

